Manufacture of artificial threads



Aug. 3, 1937. H. DANNENBERG ET AL 2,089,159

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS Filed March 8, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v In vemors 3, 1937- H. DANNENBIERG ET AL 2,039,159

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS Filed March a, 1954 a Sheets-Sheef 2 I mm mm!" W ////2 .i w I "431 Wii:

In venfors:

By Aflorney Aug. 3, 1937. H; DANNENBERG ET AL 2,089,159

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS Filed March 8, 1934 In ven fors Patented Aug. 3, 1937 PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS 'Bans Dannenberg, Dessau, and Emil Hubert, Dessau-Ziebigk, Germany, assignors to I. G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft, Frankforton-the-Main, Germany Application March 8, 1934, Serial No. 714,721 In Germany March 9. 1933 8 Claims.

Our present invention relates to the art of manufacturing artificial threads.

One of its objects is to provide a new process of manufacturing artificial silk and more particularly to a new process of assembling spun threads to aneflicient package or cake for further treatment. Another object is the package of threads obtained by our new process. Further objects will be seen from the detailed specification following hereafter. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 and la illustrate the spinning process, Figs. 2. 3 and 4 show the manner in which the thread is deposited, Figs. 5 and 6 show conventional view of a finished package or cake. Fig. 7 is a detailed vertical cross-sectional view of a preferred form of the mechanism for imparting movement to table 5 of Fig. 1.

It is known to produce artificial silk by causing a thread spun in the usual way into aspinning bath and drawn off by a galette rotating at the required speed ofdraft to fall freely into a slowly rotating box in which the thread is collected.

In this process a regular deposition of the thread within the box is realized by imparting to the box a revolving and a reciprocating movement. In this manner the threads are piled crosswise in the form of loose loops which, when the box is filled, are reeled from the box to form hanks which may be after-treated in this form.

As artificial silk, in many cases, is no longer delivered to the consumer by the manufacturer in the form of hanks, but in a wound form, it is no longer desirable to after-treat artificial silk in hank-form. The actual state of art, for avoiding any superfluous operation, requires the filaments to be after-treated in the form in which they were spun. This is not possible with the loose layers of threads, such as they are produced in slowly rotating spinning pots as described above. The loose layers sufler so much relative displacement by the washing and aftertreating liquids that reeling off the content of the spinning pot becomes impossible in most cases. In any case the threads are rendered highly unfit for winding.

According to this invention we have found that it is possible to pile up the spun thread in form of a solid cake capable of retaining its form in handling it in the washing and after-treatment operations and which needs no support at all neither during its production nor in handling it as aforesaid. The cake produced in this manner may be washed and after. treated in the same way as a centrifugal cake, while freely lying or.

a plate. or hanging on rods or arranged in any suitable manner. without incurring displacement of the threads or impairing their capacity of being wound.

The improvement is attained in the following 5 ay:

Referring to Fig. l, the thread i issuing from the nozzle 2 and coagulated in the spinning bath 3 is guided around the galette l and the thread falls from the galette 4 on the plate 5, 10 which performs a rotary movement and an additional movement, for instance a reciprocating or an eccentric movement. The ratio between the period of the rotary movement and the period of the additional movement must be so 15 adjusted that the layers of threads deposited on the plate form a regular system of crossings in which each thread has its determined posi-' tion. It is particularly advantageous to wind the threads in such a manner that the windings lie 20 closely side by side at a distance of about 2 to 5 mm. from each other. Fig. 3 shows the form of the windings which are deposited closely to each other and are helically piled up to form the cake. Under these conditions the layers of 25 thread form a body occupying .a minimum of space and the cake being therefore very solid. In other words, the package of threads conserving its form in the usual treatment with liquid is obtained according to the present inven- 30 tion by a method of winding the threads so as to save space. Fig. 4 shows for instance, diagrammatically the crossing of the thread in one layer. This figure has been obtained-by covering with a paper a rotating plate to which an 35 additional reciprocating movement has been imparted by a planetary gear and pressing a writing device, for instance, a pencil against the paper. The construction of a planetary gearing for imparting motion to the spinning box 40 I is represented on a larger scale in Fig. 'I. The shaft ll drives the shaft I! through the gear wheels It and I4. Wheel ll has an eccentricaily mounted bushing IS in which rotates the planetary shaft it. On top of this shaft there 45 is mounted the revolving plate (spinning box) 5. whereas at its lower end there is keyed a toothed wheel II which engages a stationary toothed wheel ll carried by the base plate I. when II and I turn about it, ll rotates by 50 gearing with II, and it and i turn on the axis of it. This rotation is the main movement, whereas the rotation on the axis of ii and I2 constitutes the additional circular movement.

The number of teeth of the toothed wheels." v

and is must be so chosen that the desired crossing of the threads is obtained which realizes the greatest economy of space and yields solid spinning cakes. The following data are given 5 as an example of suitable planetary gearing:

The receiving member for the threads, in sim- 15 ple cases, is constructed in the form of a level, plate-shaped disk. There may, however, also be employed a conical or otherwise suitably profiled disk. Finally there may also be used a spinning box of any suitable size.

In order toobtain a completely unobjectionable package of threads two further conditions must be considered. The first condition is that the additional'movement of the plate must not be too quick. Preferably the additional movement corresponds approximately with two revolutions of the plate that is to say one reciprocation must cur on somewhat more or less than two revolutions of the plate in which case the thread is deposited on the plate in double loops as shown in Fig. 2. If one reciprocating would occur on exactly one revolution or a whole number of revolutions an unserviceable cake or no cake at all is.

formed because in this case all loops would be deposited at the same place. The highest admissible speed is that at which one reciprocating movement takes place on every half turn of the plate. If the reciprocating additional movement is slower than the speed of the plate the thread is deposited on the plate in form of loops having 40 a curvature which always appears concave when viewed from the center of the cake. If the reciprocating additional movement is quicker there are formed loops having varying curvature in such a manner that the curvature of the loops ,when

5 viewed from the center of the cake alternately ap- I pears convex and concave. This form of loop is not favorable and yields unserviceable cakes when the reciprocating movement is quicker than the above mentioned limit of more than one recip- 50 rocating on half a revolution. A too quick reciprocating movement involves the further difliculty that the thread is no longer capable to follow the movement of the support with the required accuracy; in this case the thread comes not 55 to lie at the intended place so that only a loose accumulation of threads occurs.

The second condition which must be considered for the production .of an lmobjectionable package of threads, is to stabilize the pendulum swing- 60 ings which invariably occur at the freely hang ing part of the thread. The cause for this swinging will now be explained with reference to Fig. 2. The freely hanging thread is received by the plate I at 8, the speed of the thread being' equal 66 to the peripheral speed of point i. However, by

the additional movement the thread is guided alternately outwards, towards the path of point I,

h and inwards, towards the path of point 8. Points De i I and 8, however, run at a higher and a lower 70 speed than point G. The thread, therefore, falls on a support which is moved alternately more swiftly and more slowly than the constant speed,

at which the thread is supplied and, therefore,-

the thread is alternately pulled along or pushed I back. The hanging thread, therefore, does not move on the path between the points I and I, but.

pletely uniform oscillations, however, do not inter'fere with the accuracy of the windings. The production of such uniform oscillations was realized by profiting of the resonance phenomena, which as is known occurs with any kind of oscillation. The free part of the thread which oscillates has a natural oscillation which depends on the weight of the thread, on the weight of the portions of the spinning bath adhering to the thread and on its dimensions. If the time of the natural oscillation corresponds with the period of the additional movement of the rotating plate that is with the time of one reciprocation, resonance between the two is produced that is to say the thread oscillates uniformly and quickly without trembling or shaking and the formation of a regularly wound and solid cake occurs. Resonance is also produced if the time of oscillation and the time of revolution are in a ratio of 1:2, 1:3, 2:1, etc that is to say in the case of a so-called harmonic.

While the mechanism preferably adopted in the process according to the present invention for imparting to the spinning box both a reciprocat-' ing and a rotary movement about its shaft is the planetary gear disclosed in Fig. 7, in principle specific weight 01' 1.4 and splm at a speed of 60 in. per minute, the'resonance effect is obtained by giving the measures a, b, c, d of Figs. 1 and la the following values:

a=725 mm. b: 95 mm. c: 80 mm. d: mm.

The plate is rotated at a speed of 112.3 revolutions per minute, and makes reciprocations penminute. The cake obtained after 6 hours spinning had the following dimensions:

Freshly s Thread package add mo f a Total titer lso deniers Single titeL. s deniers. Length of thread 20,000 meters Example 2.-When 'spinning'a viscose thread having a titer of 300 deniers at the same speed in a spinning bath of the same specific weight the values of a, b, c and d are the following:

a=780 mm. b=150 mm.

c: mm. d: 50 mm.

The plate is rotated at a speed of 112.3 revolutions per minute, and makes 55 reciprocations per minute. The cake obtained after 6 hours spinning had the following dimensions:

Freshly 5 un Thread package acid mo st Outer circumference Outer diameter Inner circumference Weight -1 2,250

grams Density 0.7l5gram/cc 660 grams. 0.356 gram/cc.

I Total titer--. 30o deniers Single titer 5 deniers Length of the thread 20,000 meters Figs. 5 and 6 show a finished cake. As seen from these figures in practice the inner and the outer border of the cake may show a slight deformation. The outer, upper edge of the cake is generally somewhat rounded whereas the inner, upper border may be somewhat raised. The walls of the cake are perfectly smooth and vertical on the plate.

The diameter of the cake is determined by the speed at which the plate is rotated and the speed at which the thread is supplied. The mean diameter of the cake (see the dotted line in Fig. 2) is equal to speed at which the thread is supplied ir-number of revolutions of the plate Bobbin spinning 5323: Plate spinning 100 grams 165 grams 500 grams. 0,000 meters 10,000 meters-.-. 30,000 meters.

which is drafted for a titer of 150 deniers.

The process according to this invention obviously is not limited to spinning viscose silk as shown in the examples but is adapted for spin- 5 ning spinning solutions according-to the wet spinning process quite generally. Thus, there may be spun solutions of cellulose acetate or another cellulose derivative or there may be spun solutions of fibroin according to the wet spinning 70 process.

What we claim is;

1. A process of producing artificial silk which comprises ejecting a spinning solution into a precipitating bath, guiding the coagulated thread 75 around a rotating galette, causing the thread to fall freely upon a plate, rotating said plate at a speed so that a point of the plate at a subflantial distance from the center of rotation and from the periphery of said plate has the same peripheral velocity as said galette, giving the plate an additional reciprocating movement so that at most one reciprocation occurs on half a revolution of the plate and adjusting the free length of the thread between the point at which the thread leaves the galette and the point at which the thread falls on the rotating plate so that the natural vibrations of the thread are in resonance with the reciprocating movement, whereby a cake which needs no support is obtained.

2. A process of producing artificial silk which comprises ejecting a spinning solution into a precipitating bath, guiding the coagulated thread around a rotating galette, causing the thread to fall freely upon a' plate, rotating said plate at a speed so that a point of the plate at a substantial distance from the center of rotation and 'that the natural vibrations of the thread are in resonance with the reciprocating movement, whereby a cake which needs no support is obtained.

3. An annular self-supporting package of artificial threads comprising double loops of thread helically arranged around an inner free space,

the free space being inside both loops and the center of curvature of the loops appearing always concave when viewed from the center of the cake, said package having a density in the dry state of placed from the next, and the loops following each other to form one layer lying in substantially the same plane at a right angle to the axis of the annulum, said package being substantially identical with that produced by the process of claim 1.

4. A device for spinning artificial silk thread and assembling the spun thread into a package, which comprises a spinning nozzle, a galette for drawing oil a thread emanating from said spinning nozzle, a receiving member for collecting the thread delivered by said galette, and means for assembling the thread upon said receiving member in the form of a self-supporting winding, said assembling means including means for rotating the receiving member in a plane normal to the axle of said receiving member and means for imparting to the receiving member an additional reciprocating movement so that at most one reciprocation occurs during a half revolution of the receiving member, in the plane of the threadreceiving surface thereof, the receiving member being arranged at a distance from the galette such that the natural vibrations'of the thread falling on said receiving member are in resonance with the reciprocatory movement of said receiving member.

5. A device for spinning artificial silk thread and assembling the .spun thread into a package, as defined in claim 4, characterized in that the reciprocating movement is imparted by reciprocating means.

6. A device for spinni' g artificial silk thread and assembling the spun hread into a package,

- 0.2 to 0.5 gram/00., each loop being slightly dis- 7 which comprises a spinning nozzle, a galette for 10 surface thereof, the receiving member being arranged at a distance from the galette such that the natural vibrations of the thread falling on said receiving member are in resonance with the cyclic movement of said receiving member.

15 '7. A device for spinning artificial silk thread and assembling the spun thread into a package, as defined in claim 4, characterized in that the receiving member is a plate.

8. An annular self-supporting package of artiilcial threads comprising double loops of thread helically arranged around an inner free space, the free space being inside both loops and the center oi curvature of the loops appearing always concave when viewed from the center of the package, said package having a density in the dry state of 0.2 to 0.5 grams per 0. c. and comprising 20,000,meters of the washed and dried thread in a volume of about 6 c. c. multiplied by the titreof the fiber, each loop being slightly displaced from the next and the loops following each other to form one layer lying in substantially the same plane at a right angle to the axis of the annulum. said package being substantially identical with that produced by the process of claim 1.

HANS DANNENBERG. EMIL HUBERT. 

